Full buses leaving Hamilton pupils stranded

Hamilton schoolchildren are being left waiting for a ride . Photo / Stuart Whitaker

Overstretched bus services are leaving some Hamilton schoolchildren waiting for a ride home.

An investigation into why a 10-year-old girl using the Hamilton to Raglan service was left at the roadside last week revealed that the bus was overloaded when it arrived at her stop.

The driver addressed the issue by letting three people off but service provider Waikato Regional Council and bus company Go Bus! were still concerned passengers were being put at risk even for a short time.

The problem is not confined to that route. Peachgrove Intermediate student Zanthe Kitney, 11, has been stranded twice in the past month because the bus from the university was at capacity before it reached her stop outside Hamilton Boys' High.

Her mother, Janine Kitney, said it was distressing for her daughter, who had to return to the school and call her to get home to Dinsdale, in Hamilton.

"He [the bus driver] drives off and leaves the school kids standing there and the next bus isn't for another 20 to 40 minutes."

She said that by then her daughter had missed her after-school activities.

Zanthe had also stopped waiting for the Orbiter bus in the morning because it was often full before it reached her. Mrs Kitney said it was "frustrating and annoying" because she could not rely on her daughter being safely on the bus.

Hamilton city councillor Dave Macpherson, who is on the region's transport committee, said the regional council had "dropped the ball" and was failing to provide adequate services on several routes including Hamilton's Orbiter service.

He had received complaints about the city's Orbiter service leaving schoolchildren behind because it was full and last week saw two buses in a row on Peachgrove Rd with "Sorry, full" signs as they approached three schools.

"It is supremely frustrating for the city council to receive complaint after bus complaint of this nature, and see nothing done by those responsible, or at best such a delayed reaction that the passengers left behind have probably ceased going to school by the time the problem is fixed," he said.

The Waikato Regional Council, which manages the buses, blamed the overcrowding on schoolchildren and said the biggest challenge was funding.

The Ministry of Education rejected the council's calls to provide funding. Resourcing group manager John Clark said it would not pay for students if they were not attending the school closest to their home or lived within 2.4km of public transport.

It would also not put on a service if the council was already providing a service covering the same route.

The regional council was working with funding partners to address the Raglan community's concerns, but transport and policy group manager Vaughan Payne said people might have to wait at peak times.

"Unlike a coach or plane where seats are prebooked, there is no guarantee that you will be able to board your preferred bus on a public transport network.

"This is the case with public transport services around the world."

Waikato District Council roading and transport committee chairman Noel Smith did not think ratepayers and the region should be subsidising Raglan children to get to Hamilton schools, saying "the issue lies with the Raglan community".